1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to articles of clothing and more particularly to a protective garment which may be utilized by ball players so as to prevent dirt and debris from entering between their jersey and pants during activities such as when a baseball player slides into a base. The garment of the present invention may be separately applied to existing uniforms or may be incorporated directly with shirts or jerseys so as to provide a combination shirt and apron which will allow for the aformentioned protection when being worn. In either case, the garment includes an apron-like material which is secured to the front portion of a uniform jersey above the tail or bottom of the jersey so that the tail of the jersey may be tucked within the pants of the uniform in a conventional manner. It is preferred that the entire upper edge of the apron be secured to the jersey so that the upper edge is disposed adjacent to but slightly above the belt line or waistband of the pants. The lower edge of the apron will include fastening elements which are provided along the inner surface of the apron and which may be selectively secured to complimentary fastening elements which are provided along the upper portion of the pants and below the belt or waistband.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a simulated belt or waistband may be provided across the front surface of the apron of the present invention so that the overall appearance of the uniform when utilizing the apron remains similar to the uniform without the apron. The apron preferably extends substantially across the front portion of the jersey so that a player is afforded protection when sliding toward a base either on their stomach or on their side.
In the preferred embodiment, the apron is sewn to the shirt or jersey with the lower edge of the apron being connected by use of interconnecting hook and loop fabric fasteners such as VELCRO.TM.. In other embodiments, the upper edge of the apron may be selectively and continuously secured by the use of suitable fasteners to the front portion of the jersey. In all embodiments, it is preferred that the apron be formed of the same material from which the uniform is formed and also be similarly colored or decorated so as to form a matching accessory for the uniform.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore there have been many garments or accessories for garments which have been designed for the purpose of giving athletes added protection during actual competition. Many of such accessories or garments have been specifically designed for use by baseball players to protect the players during activities such as sliding into a base. However, most prior art protectors for baseball uniforms have dealt with supplemental pads which may be worn either as an accessory to a uniform or as an extra garment. Such protectors are designed to protect the thighs and buttox of the player as the player slides along the ground in an effort to avoid a tag when approaching a given base. Such garments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 835,219 to Flick, U.S. Pat. No. 967,750 to Fox, U.S. Pat. No. 1,044,494 to Clarke, U.S. Pat. No. 1,088,273 to Golden, U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,122 to Fox, U.S. Pat. No. 1,478,676 to Wares, U.S. Pat. No. 1,612,766 to Levinson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,641,318 to Carey, U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,631 to Holder and U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,598 to Selkirk. Although each of these references discloses a protective pad for protecting a baseball player as the player slides, none of the references have considered either the discomfort or embarrassment that a player may have when they slide into a base head first and thereby cause dirt and other debris to become trapped within the pants or trousers of the uniform. Often, a player will have to ask for or request a time out so that dirt can be shaken from the pants and in some instances, debris or dirt cannot be effectively removed until the player is able to leave the field so that dirt or debris can be removed from the trousers or pants when the player is in an area of privacy.
Other types of protectors which are specifically designed to protect an athlete from the elements and which are designed as accessories for clothing are also known. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,829 to Kaplan, a covering device is disclosed which is adapted to be mounted along the back portion of a person's belt so that the covering may be unrolled so as to extend over and protect the pants seat from becoming moist or wet as a skier is seated on a ski lift chair. Unfortunately, this type of protecting garment only protects the surface of the garment itself but does not prevent foreign material from entering between an individual's shirt and trousers.
Another type of clothing protector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No., 380,576 to Ives. In this reference, the lower portion of an individuals vest and the upper portion of the pants may be protected from various elements by providing a bib which is hooked or secured along the front portion of the vest. The covering extends down across the belt line and over the upper portion of the pants or trousers. However, with this type of protector, as with the protector discussed above with respect to the patent to Kaplan the protector is not designed to prevent foreign material from entering between a baseball player's jersey and pants as the player slides into a base.
Some additional examples of aprons or detachable clothing garments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,846,685 to Ehrich, 4,266,299 to Beal and 4,698,854 to Slimmon.